Folks who have been watching the DC movies in order will recall how the DCEU was dropped by co-CEO James Gunn as he created the newly formed DCU. A handful of actors were kept around from the previous shared universe, including Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña. And he recently explained the wild way he found out he's be sticking around for upcoming DC movies.
The DCEU (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) came to an end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with fans saying goodbye to Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill's Superman, and more. But Maridueña is just starting his time as Blue Beetle, and recently spoke to Variety about learning he'd stick around. In his words:
I was in Japan with my friends; nobody knew anything. And I just see, like the Bat-phone, my phone rings [and it’s] James Gunn. All my friends look at me, and I had to leave the room. I came back, and I was like, ‘Off the record, don’t tell anyone, but we’re coming back,’ and I’m so excited for people to see where Blue Beetle ends up.
Talk about an exciting phone call. I have to assume that the Cobra Kai actor assumed he was getting let go like other superheroes from the DCEU, but that wasn't the case. Instead Jame Gunn told him he'd be sticking around. And I have to assume that made his Japan trip even more fun; he had something to celebrate, after all.
Gunn eventually announced that Xolo Maridueña was going to be sticking around, with the same honor going to Viola Davis' Amanda Waller and the cast of Peacemaker. Later in the same interview, the Blue Beetle star spoke more about being able to continue his tenure as Jaime Reyes. In his words:
There’s never a guarantee with anything, bro. I mean, you know this, stuff flips on a dime, and I know that it’s not always like a merit-based system. So there’s so much that’s out of my control, but I am just the most humbled of James and the greater DC team for folding us in, Indiana Jones style.
The industry can be brutal, so it makes sense that Maridueña is hyped to still be included in the DCU. Of course, fans want to know more about when we'll see him back as Blue Beetle in the new shared universe. The first slate of projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and it was recently revealed that the 25 year-old actor will return as his signature role in Man of Tomorrow. There was also some chatter about a possible Blue Beetle show, but only time will tell if that actually comes to fruition.
Outside of his DC role, Maridueña has been staying busy with other projects, including a role in Practical Magic 2, which will hit theaters on September 10th as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Man of Tomorrow, that's currently expected to be released on July 9th, 2027. So we'll have to keep being patient before Blue Beetle finally returns to the big screen.
